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Best of luck, everybody!
Every time I roll a 4, I think of this gem.
Is the bird in shooting range or is it gone?
"Aye, a nice long rest sounds jus' right." Grargath rubs the sore spot on the side of his neck as he talks. The dwarf was feeling the pain even more now as adrenaline continued to wear off. Grargath's eyes light up at the Baroness' words. "Tha's very generous of ye, thank yah very much." Grargath decides to keep the fact that he technically died for a little bit in their quest to himself. "Are ye expectin' trouble at th' auction?"
I don't have much to add to the K-9 conversation but the discussion about his autonomy made me thing of this song by Chameleon Circuit.
Ted is in his 30s and lives pretty much right in the middle of TL 4. The whole background I have worked out is in the profile and can be tweaked as necessary, but he has worked with and helped the Doctor once, but that is the only time they have met. His sense of duty kept him from going with the Doctor, and Ted's never been sure if that was the right decision or not.
Alfen breathes a sigh of relief as they head to the surface and not toward the monster. He knows he wouldn't have won that argument if Nik'olo decided to stand his ground on facing it again. Thank the gods he saw reason. Nik'olo tries to keep his eyes from bulging as he takes in the wealth Momo carries with her: "Two pieces should be enough..." he says, controlling the impulse to take more, lots more... Alfen glances over curiously, wondering just how much money Momo brought with her to Zobeck. In another life, she could've been an easy mark for him and his friends. As the group stops for books, he quietly warns Momo, "Be careful not to advertise how much money you have when we're around others. There are plenty of thieves in Zobeck." Alfen grins as Nik'olo purchases the three books. It was a wonderful plan. Hopefully it worked on anyone else who came after them.
Grargath shakes his head as stands on his toes to get a look at the maps Cira is holding. "Tha' sounds good t' me," he says. "Wait... what're th' cranky turtles?" he asks with a frown. "Th' drawin' next t' those words concerns me. An' wha' prisoners are yah keepin'?"
"Are you proving your adulthood too, Alfen? You know... to determine if you're a brave warrior." Momo examines the kitsune, looking him up and down. He's the only kitsune Momo has ever met and she isn't sure if he's an adult or not. Momo doesn't even know where Alfen's home is. No, of course not! is Alfen's initial and befuddled reaction. He's already an adult and has been for some time now. He turns to Momo to tell her this before stopping himself as he fully comprehends the question. Age was just a number after all, had he actually proven himself? What has he done with his adult life, just play music in taverns and inns? And what did he have to show for it? He was supposed to do more with his life than that, he had planned to. But when Georg died, Alfen fell into a slump that he never seemed to be able to get out of. And now, finally, his chance had come to do more with his life. Now he could, as Momo put it, prove himself. Maybe not as a warrior (Was she trying to prove herself as a warrior? She doesn't seem the type) but just as someone capable of using his talents to help people and change things for the better. Not just playing bawdy music for stingy crowds. He regards Momo as all of this flashes through his head, and simply smiles and says, "Yeah, I suppose you could say that I am. Though I can't say I'm much of a warrior," he adds, laughing.
Alfen looks between Írwen and and the stranger whose name he still had yet to hear, utterly fascinated. He should excuse himself, get back to playing his fiddle and let these people be. But he was as curious as the rest of them just what was going on inside the Wheatsheaf tonight. Grigori claiming to know the stranger and the strange look on his face as he left. The mysterious tiefling man who seemed to appear out of nowhere. The kobold who just as mysteriously disappeared. And this tiefling woman... Illyana. It was a mystery, and Alfen was a sucker for mysteries. "The Silk Scabbard, huh?" Alfen tries to keep himself from grinning as he looks over the drawing again. "Makes sense."
"Enjoy. Of course if you want a taste of what he's having, you'll have to cough up some of that hard earned coin." Like any musician worth his salt, Alfen enjoyed a strong drink. And Dwarven tends to be as strong as you can get and still survive. But he always found his tastes adapt to whatever currently fell in the "free" category. He reaches his paw out for the lager when he hears: "I'll buy the whiskey, if you play me The Rill of Bill. Now that is a proper song for this ominous night!" Alfen turns in his seat to find the source of the voice. Huh. A generous offer from such an intimidating man. Alfen takes in the stranger, careful to not let his eyes linger for too long on the rope burn that encompasses his neck. Well whoever this man was, he had the coin for the good stuff, and it was a simple enough request! He flashes another grin at the man. "The Rill of Bill, eh? That's an older song I haven't heard in a while, but I believe I can coax it out for you my friend!" He gets up from the bar, takes a second to carefully rosin his bow, and begins playing.
The song was an older one, but Alfen remembers it fondly from his childhood. He recalls that it was one that his old master Georg enjoyed to hear while he was still alive. Never got many requests for it, though. The man was right: It was an ominous song. Dissonance and sudden notes that surprised the audience and sometimes the player himself when clashed against the established key.
Grargath looks between Marcus, Francis, and Cira, face reddening. "Aye. Th' wizard... Tha' was my next guess." Grargath turns his attention to a particularly interesting piece of rubble.
It is likely that if I know any of you, it will be from at least ten years ago. Alfen would've been 11 and still a street con, but could've stolen from you or your family before you left. From what I understand Kitsune are probably rare in Zobeck so he'd probably stick out.
I know you said HP healing shouldn't be an issue, but I do have access to Cure Spells as a Bard. I looked into the archetype Arcane Healer which replaces a couple Bardic abilities with Healing abilities. It seems to me though that the benefits to Arcane Healer are pretty limited, other than the ability to sacrifice 2 bardic performances to cast Cure Light Wounds.
Grargath nods as Cira hands him his dagger and her lit staff. He'd be able to spot any approaching danger with his darkvision, but whoever ends up taking the next watch will need the light. Grargath sheathes the dagger and walks up to the lever and pulls it so that the pit is open for any threats to fall into. He also locks the door, just to be safe. As Grargath sets himself up, he begins thinking about what he'll do with the money after they've found the cause of the tower's destruction. Well, he had set out to find his fame and fortune, hadn't he? Here was the fortune bit, even split between the five of them. Grargath glances back at his sleeping... friends? Yes. He hadn't given it much thought with all the danger they've encountered, but he does consider them to be his friends. Whether they felt the same or not, he has no way of knowing, but he feels that they may. Could he go back home already? and abandon them? Or would they even care if he did leave? Even with all the peril they've faced, he finds that he doesn't want to stop travelling with them. Grargath shakes his head. Once they got out of this tower, he would send most of his share of the money back home for his family and the other dwarves. Keep enough for himself to arm and protect himself better, and to make sure he doesn't starve. Yes, that would be the honorable thing to do. He shifts back and forth, uneasy, but refrains from taking any action to make himself more comfortable. He needs to stay alert and awake.
I filled in the blanks for Alfen finding Momo and sneaking her back into the kitchen to help clean her up. I put in italics and implied reactions that didn't fit with the blocked off sections. Let me know what you think! Alfen and Momo: It’s nearly lunchtime before the Dulines make it to market, but they are able to finagle a space to sell their wares. Michaus is slightly surprised to see some of the items. It’s obvious that the elves had gifted his village a few things to be able to afford the swords. The contents include: preserved fish from their river, small dolls carved by the catfolk out of the forest’s wood, and a few items gifted from the neighboring elves.
Before Michaus and Sari can finish setting up, their blanket of items is swarmed with potential buyers. Their catfolk race, rarely seen in Zobeck, seems to spark interest in the market and curious shoppers circle the blanket to take a gander at the “rare and exotic items” Michaus peddles. Michaus turns up his charm, bluffing about the integrity of their merchandise, finagling customers into spending a few extra silver. While Michaus speaks, Sari handles the money and watches their goods in fear of thievery. Unfortunately, by the time the market dies down and most of their goods are sold, the couple notices their child is missing. Grief and regret strike them both. After a few minutes of panicked discussion, it’s decided that Sari will stay put in case Momo ventures back, while Michaus sniffs the air and checks nearby stalls. The couple makes sure they can always spot and hear one another during their search. The city is large and unfamiliar for oddities such as themselves. Sometime during the chaos, Momo had slipped between the legs of a particularly large human and wiggled her way through the forest of legs. She crawls on her hands and knees, sniffing the cobblestone, legs, feet, puddles, everything. Before she knew it, Momo had sniffed her way into an alley. Scared without her parents, little Momo sits on her rear and her eyes fill with tears. She is utterly and completely lost. ”Uuuuuu,” Momo prepares her incoming waterworks. After a few moments, she stands up and starts running in a random direction, bawling loudly. She eventually sees what looks to be other children and runs towards them, crying unintelligently, ”Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa” Momo takes a breath only to continue wailing, ”Waaauuuuuuuuu!” Her face is streaked with tears and snot is running out of both nostrils and into her mouth. The children Momo ran towards are a group of juvenile delinquents that had been preoccupied with throwing small rocks at glass bottles, attempting to make the containers shatter all over the cobblestone. They hear Momo’s crying at a distance and plan a cruel prank. After luring the small defenseless catfolk closer, the kids begin pelting rocks at the unfamiliar creature. ”Ten points if you hit the head!” one calls out in Common. A rock lands painfully on Momo’s left ear, causing it to bleed. ”Yes, got it!” another kid cheers, indifferent towards the pain they’re inflicting on Momo. Something warm and smelly trickles down the side of Momo’s leg. She’s peeing herself in fear. At this point, Momo is too scared to make any noise. Momo turns away from her assailants, trying desperately to claw up the wall but she isn’t strong enough. She curls defensively into a ball covering her ears with her hands, which were now exposing tiny little claws. Momo waits helplessly for her life to come to an end. ___________________________________________
“Hey! Leave them alone you bullies!“ a voice different from the attacking children is heard. The mischievous youngsters stop pelting Momo and disperse. Momo slowly lifts her head, her ears revolving to the source of the noise. The scrape on her ear is starting to clot. It’s hard for Momo to smell and see with the blood, urine, and dirt currently covering her. Momo’s eyes are wide in fear and her heart is beating as fast as a bunny rabbit’s. She isn’t sure if the new creature is here to help or hurt her, but she’s too terrified to do anything about it. Her ears are back and her tail in down between her legs in fearful defeat. When the creature approaches her, she gives a tentative sniff, her nose wiggling, sampling the air. Her assailants seem to be far enough away, but the smell of Momo’s urine was overwhelming to Momo’s sensitive nose. She detected the smell of (Momo’s savior’s race here – unless kitsune) on her savior. ___________________________________________ A catfolk, huh? Georg had mentioned that a couple come through every now and then, but he had never seen one in person before. "Hey, are you alright kid?" Alfen asks, afraid to get too close (the stench of urine was overwhelming). "Those kids got ya pretty good. What's your name? Do you have anyone lookin' for you?"
”I’m Momo,” Momo replies in a wavering voice, strained from crying. After a few moments, tears begin to swell in her eyes again: ”I can’t find my parents.” The waterworks begin again and a fresh line of snot travels out of Momo’s nose and over her mouth. ”Uuuu,” Momo whimpers pitifully as her savior helps her out. Momo answers all of his/her questions with child-like honesty and nods or shakes her head fervently to simple questions. ”I’m 6 years old. My parents and I were at the market.” ___________________________________________ "The market? Hey, that's not too far from here!" Alfen smiles, trying to cheer the girl up. "My name's Alfen. It's nice to meet you Momo." He hesitates. He can't let the girl walk through all those people looking and smelling like she does now. Maybe they could sneak into the kitchen and get her cleaned up? He might get in trouble though, and he was already in enough trouble with Georg as it was... No. If he doesn't help Momo, then who will? "Come on," Alfen gestures down the alley toward the opposite direction of the market. "I know a place where we can get ya cleaned up. We have to be quiet though," he adds conspiratorially.
As her savior leads the way, Momo reaches for his/her hand for comfort. If he/she pulls away in disgust, Momo lets out a ”Uuuu,” contorting her face to cry again. Alfen allows Momo to hold his hand, albeit begrudgingly. He'll need to wash his paws down to the bone after this. If he/she is adamant about not holding Momo’s hand, Momo determinedly tries to grab onto his/her shirt as they walk. Momo wants to be close to the creature that saved her, regardless of how nice others she meets may be. Momo is completely docile as her savior cleans her up – Momo doesn’t even complain if the bucket of water is cold. She eyes her savior curiously, her ears are perky and upright listening to the different sounds in the area. She doesn’t attempt to clean herself and lets her savior do all the work. As he/she reaches over Momo to clean a spot, Momo leans her head closer to curiously sniff her savior. Alfen collects water from the sink and uses it to quietly wash the blood and urine off of Momo, trying not to breathe in the smell. He leans back as Momo tries to get close to sniff him, but relents as she continues to do so. Maybe washing his hands won't be enough. He'll need to wash himself after this. Before they leave to go the market, Alfen takes time to change into his human form. "We'll draw less unwanted attention that way," he explains to Momo. Even if Momo is reprimanded and instructed to stop, she will continue to sniff after a few seconds have passed. With the pee washed off, Momo's sense of smell is improved and she is able to assist in finding her parents. ”You smell interesting. I won’t forget your scent,” Momo promises her savior. Her light green cat-like eyes stare at her savior unabashed with childhood innocence. It’s hard to tell Momo had been yelling her lungs out, making a waterfall of tears, and covered in urine a few minutes earlier. Momo is already back to her perky, inquisitive self. She grabs for her savior’s hand, her actions indicative to her age. She follows dutifully behind her savior as if she were his/her own little shadow. When her savior makes it to the market with Momo in tow, Momo grabs her savior as tightly as she can around his/her waist. ”I will never forget you,” Momo muffles into his/her shirt. The shirt feels a little wet after the hug. Pulling back, Momo’s eyes glisten with tears ”We are friends now.” It was a proclamation, not an request. Momo decides they are going to be friends. Momo removes the necklace she made seven days ago and hands it to her savior. “This is proof of our friendship. Now you can’t forget me.” Momo’s tail swishes anxiously, waiting for her savior to accept her token of friendship. ”If you don’t take it you might not remember me. Your race can’t smell as well as catfolk.” Momo’s ears bend slightly in anticipation, waiting for her savior to accept the offering. The necklace is of poor quality and it looks like a child made it. It’s a string with seven baked clay beads of various sizes and shapes. The necklace doesn’t appear to be worth anything. ___________________________________________ Alfen, having shifted back to fox form after finding the stall, takes the necklace from Momo and examines it closely. Doesn't look valuable, probably couldn't fence it for much... Alfen mentally chides himself. How is he any better than the bullies? He's not supposed to be thinking that way anymore. This is a gift, not to be sold. Worried that his expression is giving away his thoughts, Alfen forces a smile. "Thanks," he says, pocketing the necklace. "I like it a lot. Really." ___________________________________________ Momo’s ears straighten and she grins widely, showing all of her baby teeth are still intact. She grapples her savior around the waist for another hug and rubs the side of her face against him/her showing the respect and affection of a comrade and friend. ”Momo!? Momo!” and extremely concerned mother and father catfolk approach Momo and her savior. The female catfolk looks like she’s been crying and she continues to sob as she grabs Momo into a tight hug. The male catfolk looks more composed and thanks her savior appreciatively. ”Would you allow me to buy you dinner? As a small thank you - that nowhere near compensates you for returning our Momo here safely,” the male catfolk addresses Momo’s savior. ”My name is Mithaus and this is my lovely mate Sari.” Alfen considers this offer. He certainly feels very hungry, starving even. And he was already late reporting back to Georg at the inn. And, Alfen suddenly remembers, he hadn't cleaned up the basin and bowl he had used to clean Momo, did he? So he's already in trouble. Might as well get a nice dinner out of it. Alfen happily nods, accepting the gracious offer. If her savior allows Mithaus to buy him/her dinner, they exchange pleasantries and Mithaus keeps the conversation light. Dinner turns out to be steaming buns filled with meat from a nearby bakery. Mithaus avoids crowded areas like taverns because he and his family already stick out. Mithaus talks about their catfolk village and answers any questions her savior has as long as they are not too personal. Before departing, Mithaus and Sari rub their cheeks against the top of her savior’s head out in gratitude and affection. They take the time to sniff Momo’s savior so they can remember his/her scent. ___________________________________________ Alfen, naturally curious, asks a lot about where they are from and what catfolk are like in between stuffing his face with the food. He eats like he is starving, even though in his fox form it's clear that he's not. He reluctantly allows the older catfolk to rub against his head, having learned earlier that it was useless to try to stop it. Not to mention it'd probably be insulting. Alfen briefly wonders if he would've been more comfortable with these invasions of personal space if he had grown up around other kitsune, instead of humans. He shakes the strangely melancholy thought away and thanks Mithaus and Sari for the dinner. As they part, Alfen begins to make his way back to the inn, grinning until he remembers just how much trouble he's going to be in for being gone so long. But Georg would understand, right?
I've clearned it up and will be adding traits tomorrow.
I have here Alfen Greenraw, a Kitsune Bard! In the profile is also a general outline for advancement to 6th level; I wasn't sure how specific you wanted it so if you need more details I'll be happy to oblige. |